Reigning Heisman winner Manziel once again a finalist

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel already owned an invite this weekend to New York as a member of the exclusive Heisman Trophy fraternity.

Now, he’ll officially double dip as a Heisman finalist, to boot. Manziel, the reigning Heisman winner who turned 21 last Friday, earned quite a belated birthday present on Monday: He was named one of six candidates for college football’s most coveted award.

Manziel’s inclusion was a bit of a surprise, considering his impressive numbers had drastically dipped in the final two games of the season as he battled hand and shoulder injuries in losses at LSU and Missouri.

Still, he was one of four quarterbacks invited to New York for Saturday evening’s announcement, along with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, Alabama’s AJ McCarron and Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch, in addition to running backs Tre Mason of Auburn and Andre Williams of Boston College.
Meanwhile Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty was somewhat surprisingly left off the lengthy list after he led the Bears to their first Big 12 title while triggering the nation’s top offense (625 yards per game). Petty reacted with class to what Baylor fans dubbed a snub, offering Lynch a “congrats big man!” via Twitter.

Winston, who’s leading the unbeaten Seminoles into the national championship game against Mason’s Tigers on Jan. 6, is expected to win the trophy by a comfortable margin. If so, he’ll become only the second freshman to do so, following in the size 15 sneakers of Manziel, who made history this month a year ago.

Manziel is aiming to become only the second repeat winner in history, behind Ohio State running back Archie Griffin (1974-75). Manziel couldn’t be reached Monday night, and Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin didn’t respond via text message when asked for comment on Manziel’s being named a finalist.

A year ago, Manziel was considered the favorite leading into the ceremony and had only two fellow finalists in Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein. The six invited this go-round are the most since Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam prevailed among the same number of finalists in 1994.

Manziel has visited with the media only a handful of times this season, but following an A&M victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 9, he was asked if he were keeping up with this year’s Heisman race.

“I wasn’t even in (the race) for a long time last year and didn’t really get much into (following) it last year,” he responded. “I’m the same way this year. My sole focus is, and I want nothing more, than to win these last two games and get into a good bowl game.”

At the time, Manziel and the Aggies hoped to make their first Bowl Championship Series contest since 1998. But following the two road losses, the 8-4 squad will face 10-3 Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31 in Atlanta. Despite the poor finish to a once-promising season, A&M has touted Manziel for a second consecutive Heisman with an impressive highlight-reel video and an eye-catching chart showing he ranks in the national top 10 in eight offensive categories.

Meanwhile, Winston, who was cleared last Thursday of potential charges in a sexual battery case, is aiming to become the 13th quarterback in the last 14 years to win the Heisman.